Concentrator



' Jan; 12 1926. 1,569,451

C. E. BONINE CONCENTRATOR Filed May 10, 1923 55 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 FIG I "V V mmvron: Lkarles Eflwu'na BY ATTORNEYS. Y

W l TNESSBS:

6. E. BONINE coucsu'muon Q Q INVENTOR:

A v 0,04% ATTORNEYS.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l zl Isl-dial I flit Ilia! Lkarlas flBonine, BY

HQ Q Filed May 10 m wmvsgsag Q a Jan. 12 1926,

C. E. 50mm;

CONCENTRATOR Filed y 10. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F161 II d W I u ////////A0 w FIG 11 I INVENTOR: Giza rm Bantu,

BY y

Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

CHARLES E. BON'INE, OF HELLO!!! PARK, PENNSYLVANIA.

concauru'ron Applicationfiled lay 10, 1923. Serial No. 637,889.

To all whom. it may concern:

' Be it known that I, CHARLES E; BONINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Melrose Park, in the township of Cheltenham, in the county of Montgomery and State I erative upon the dry principle, that is to say, without necessitating the use of water or other liquid for removal of the waste or gangue.

' he more important objects of my invention are to enable sharper and more eflicient dry separation than possible with apparatus heretofore designed for a similar purpose, and to enable simultaneous concentration of the ingredients of complex mixtures or aggregates thereby obviating the necessity for successive treatments.

Other subsidiary objects and attendant advantages will become apparent from the detailed description which follows of a typical embodiment of my invention, and its scope is readily seen from the appended claims. I

In the drawings, Fig. I is a perspective illustration viewed from the front of a concentrating apparatus conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a similar illustration of the. apparatus viewed from the rear.

Fig. III is an illustration in planof the vibrating table forming part of. the apparatus, a portion of the table cover being broken away for better illustration of certiain details which would otherwise be hid- Fig. IV is. an illustration of the table partly inside elevation and partly in longitudinal section, the section-being taken as indicated by the arrows IVIV in Fig.

Figs. V and VI are cross, sectionalfviews of the table taken respectiverly as indicated by the arrows V-V and VI' in Fig. III; and I Figs. VII andVIII are detail views of the outlet, nozzles through which the separated materials are discharged from the apparatus.

Referring first more particularly to Fi I and II of the drawings, it .Wlll be 0 served that the apparatus comprises a frame work, comprehensively designated b the numeral 1, designed for the support of the concentrating table 2. As shown, this table 2 is substantially of rectangular, or more accurately speaking, of oblong con ration, and in order that it may be reciprocated or vibrated in a longitudinal direction, a bar'or rod 3 secured along the center of its bottom, (see Fig. II) is slidably sustained by bridge bearings 4-4 arched across a air of spaced parallel channel beams 55 w ich rest upon transverse blocks. 6-6 bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the top platform 7 of the framework 1. Any suitable head motion device 8 capable of inducing;

a return shog more rapidly thanforward movement and with provisions for frequency regulation, may be employed for vibrating the table 2 with which it is operatively connected by means of a coupling link (not shown). An electric motor 10, coordinated by means of a belt 11 with a pulley 12 on the shaft of the head motion device 8, serves in the present instance to drive the latter at a. constant rate of speed. The table 2 may be angularly tilted about the axis of the bar or rod 3 as a fulcrum, an adjustment means being provided in the form of a hand screw 13 which is supported for rotation jointly by the channel beams 5-5 and engages a lever or arm 14 fixed to and depending from said bar or rod.

Attention is now directed to Fi III to VI inclusive whichshow the details of the table 2. From these illustrations it will be observed that the table 2 com rises an extended surface or deck 15 wit a series of rifiles16, which, although disposed generally longitudinally, are convergent toward the lefthand or discharge end of said table. The deviation may vary from the true horizontal. of the lowermost. rifle 16 to some thirty degrees or more de .nding upon the character of the material ga ing treated. As

a result ofsuch divergency of the riffles 1616, it follows that the grooves or valleys 17 between them become gradually more and more attenuated as the ap roach the dischar e end of the tab e. [t is also to be noted from Fig. IV that the upper edges of ably covered with linoleum or other material affording a uniformly smooth surface, but, if desired, the same can be made of cast or sheet metal suitably corrugated to provide the desired arrangement of rifiles and grooves.

The table 2 furthermore has aperimetrical wall 20 appropriately braced by corner angles 21, and affording conjointly with an insert cover member 22, a shallow interspatial closure 23 above the surface or deck 15 for passage of air for'conveying or carrying off the gangue or waste from the material being concentrated. The cover member 22 is preferably glazed as conventionally represented at 2 1 in Figs. I and III so that the progress of the. material over the table surface is at all times open to observation.

'In order that the cover member 22 may be vertically or angularly adjusted relative to the deck or surface 15 either locally or as a whole, I have provided for its support at the corners by set screws 2525 appropriately anchored in the table structure and equipped at their lower projecting ends with knurled heads 26 for finger manipulation. The side and bottom edges of the cover member 22 are sealed against air leakage by marginal strips 27 of rubber or the like maintained by virtue of their inherent resiliency or springiness in effective contact with the 1ns1des ofthe contiguous sections of the perimetrical wall 20. The upper edge (Fig. III) of the cover member 22 is however spaced from the wall section at that side of the table 2 with consequent provision of a co-extensive slot 28 which serves as an air inlet for the interspace 23.

Air -is exhausted from said interspa ce 23 through a series of ports or outlets 29 arranged at regular intervals along the lower longitudinal side of the table 2; As a result of this construction, the air is drawn laterally across the path of the movement of the material on the deck or surface 15, the '55- l I lighter ingredients or displacedwaste being thereby conveyed or directed to a trouglror launder 30 provided at the front or air outlet side of the table 2. As shown to the best advantage in Fig. V, thetrough or launder 80v is recessed relative to the surface 'or deck 15 and is amply proportioned as to width and depth. This amplification is not only important from the standpoint .of capacity,

but determines a sudden velocity decrease in the airflow thus facilitating precipitation of the waste or gangue into the bottom of the trough or launder 30. The suction ports 29, it will be noted, are well elevated above the bottom of the trough 0r launder 30, and are further protected bybafiie plates 31 and 32 designed to prevent efliux of the gangue through them. Tubes 33 of rubber or other flexible material capable of permitting free motion of the table 2, lead from the ports 29 to a common manifold 34 extending longitudinally of the table 2 and supported upon saddle brackets 35.85 of the framework 1. Air is in turn exhausted from the manifold'34: through a'conduit 36 connected with a suction device 37 mounted on the lower platform 38 of the framework 1 and arranged to be driven by belt 39 from'an electric motor 40. The outlettl of the exhaust blower 37 may be connected either to a dust separator or to some suitable depository not shown.

The various concentrates liberated from the delivery end of the riflles 16 as hereinafter noted, are collected in a series of hoppers l545 (see Figs. III and VI) arranged along the discharge end of the table 2, an.

additional end hopper 46 being provided for reception of the gangue from the trough or launder 30. The partitions A7 between these several hoppers 1545 are mounted upon pivot shafts 18 which extend to the exterior of the table 2 and are fitted with suitable grasps 49 for finger manipulation. By the adjustability thus afiorded, the partitions 47 may be positioned at different angles so as to vary the number of riffle ends included or comprehended between them which permits greater selectivity with regard to the various precipitates discharged from the ritfled surface 15.

any manner found convenient, for example by means of individual tubes 50 leading to automatic closure. under suction, preventing ingress of air. I

The materialto be treated is introduced in the apparatus through .a hopper 55 which empties into a storage receptacle at the bottom of a housing 56. for a sprocket chain elevator 57 indicated for the most part in dotted lines in Fig. II. This chain elevator 57 has a series of buckets 58 which liftthe material from the storage receptacle and subsequently deposit their contents upon a chute 59,. supported at an inclination on an overhang 56 of the housing so as to dis- The release from the sev- 'eral hoppers 4:54z5 may be collected in a hose or conduit 61 (Fig. I)

charge into a funnel60 which directs the material onto the deck or surface 15 of the table 2. The chute 59 is mounted upon its support with capacity for being shifted laterally so as to be overlapped more or less by the buckets 58 of the elevator 57. This provision affords a simple control for regulating the feed of the material, the excess released fromithe elevator buckets 58 dropping back into the storage receptacle. Any dust occasioned during the fall ofthe material is drawn out of the storage receptacle through connected to the exhaust manifold 34 previously referred to. The elevator 57 may be actuated from a separate power source or by a sprocket chain connection 62 (Fig. II) with the shaft of the head motion device 8 by which the table 2 is vibrated.

Preparatory to starting the apparatus, the table 2 is first slightly tilted relative to the horizontal as suggested in Figs. I and II, by manipulation of the hand wheel 13 so that the aid of gravity is secured for assisting displacement of the gangue or waste laterally of said table, and the cover member 22 angularly adjusted relative to the deck or cover 15 by means of the set screws 25 after the manner shown in Figs. V and VI to predetermine a gradual decrease in the velocity of the air flow toward the trough or launder 30. With these preparations, the motors 10 and 40 are started to set the head motion device 8 and the blower 37 in operation. The dry mixture or aggregate (previously comminuted by grinding or milling) and introduced into the storage chamber in the bottom of housing 56 is continuously elevated by the bucket conveyor 57 and discharged, under guidance of the chute 59, to the funnel 60 whereby it is fed directly onto the surface or deck 15. As the operation proceeds, the chute 59 may be shifted laterally relative to the elevator buckets 58 to control the flow rate of the material to the table 2. The material thus discharged u on the surface or deck 15 is first arrested y the u permost rifles 16-16, and, owing to the inc ination of the table 2, and the declination of said rifles toward the discharge end of the table, spreads or distributes itself along them. Under the continuous agitation set up by vibration of the table 2, the material is not only progressed along the rifles 1616, but stratified in the intervening grooves or valleys 17, the heavier particles in settling downwardly forcing the lighter ones to the top, (this action being enhanced by the attenuation of the grooves 17) thereby exposing them to the sweeping action of the laterally moving air flow passing through the interspace 23. The heaviest constituents of the mixture are thus retained by the uppermost rifles 16- 16 and, owing to the comparatively greater slope of the latter, are dischargedfromthe table 2 more quickly than the others. The

transition of the remainder of the material from rifle to rifle, as a consequence of the gradual velocity decrease in the air and the gradual approach of the rifles 16+16 todepth at the feed end of the table 2 to a" minimum at the discharge end, insures finer I gradation of the material and hence a sharper separation of the concentrates. Selectivity between the difierent concentrates may be had over a comparatively wide rangethrough the adjustability of the partitions 47 of the hoppers 4545, the lattercollect-v the concentrates and directing them 7 mg through the discharge conduits 50 to the separate receptacles 51.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that the concentrating apparatus of my invention'may be employed in treating ores, minerals, in separating peanuts from their shells, slate from coal, as well as in separating chemical mixtures which would not admit use of water or other liquids on account of solvent action. The treatment of these various substances may, in order to secure the best results, require changes in the angular positioning of the table 2, rate of air flow, frequency of table vibration, or relative angular disposal of the rifles 16-16, but these may, within the scope of my invention, be readily made with the. means hereinbefore described or with other known expedients suitable to the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A concentrating apparatus comprising a longitudinally vibratory enclosed table having convergent and gradually declining rifles for maintaining isolation of, and for guiding different extracted concentrates toward the discharge end of the table, a series of non-return outlets therefor, a complemental series of hoppers arranged along the table end to individually receive the different concentrates, and means for evacuating air transversely over the upper surface of said table.

2. A concentrating apparatus comprising a longitudinally vibratory enclosed table having convergent and gradually declining rifles for maintaining isolation of, and for guiding different extracted concentrates toward the discharge end of the table, a series of flexible non-return outlets therefor, a complemental series of hoppers arranged along said table end to individually receive the different concentrates, said hoppers having partitions capable of angular adjustment for variation in the number of riftle ends comprehended between them, and means for evacuating air transversely over the upper surface of said table. 3. A concentrating apparatus comprising a table enclosed for the passage of evacuated air thereover to effect elimination of the gangue from the material being treated, a series of outlets for the concentrates leading from said table, said outlets having discharge nozzles of flexible material permitting free egress of the concentrates but preventing, through responsiveness to suction, ingress of air.

4. A concentrating apparatus comprising a longitudinally vibratory table having con- 'vergent and gradually declining riflles affording a surface eflective to separate the constituent ingredients of the material being treated, a perimetrical wall extending about the table, a cover member affording in conjunction with said wall a closure over said surface, means for inducing flow of air through said closure in a direction laterally over the moving material, means whereby the cover member may be angularly adjusted relative to the table surface to determine a gradually decreasing velocity in the air flow to effect lateral spreading of the material and gradation of its ingredients in accordance with their respective specific gravities, and means whereby the separated concentrates are individually discharged from the aforesaid table under non-return action.

5. A concentrating apparatus comprising a longitudinally vibratory table affording a surface for progression of the material being treated, said surface having a series of longitudinally convergent and gradually declining riflles for guiding the material toward the discharge end of the table, an angularly adjustable cover for:;the table affording an enclosure, means for inducing a flow of air at a gradually decreasing velocity through the enclosure in a direction crosswise over the moving material to efi'ec-t transition and separation of the various ingredients from riffle to rifiie in accordance with their respective specific gravities, and

through the enclosure in a direction laterally over the moving material to remove the gangue from the latter, a launder along one side of the table into which the gangue is drawn, said launder being amply proportioned to determine a sudden drop in the velocity of the air for facilitating the pre cipitation of the gangue in said trough or launder.

7. A concentrating apparatus comprising a longitudinally vibratory table affording a surface for progression of the material being treated, an angularly adjustable cover for said surface aifording an enclosure, a launder arranged along one side of the table, suction means communicating with an outlet in said launder and adapted to induce a flow of air through the closure aforesaid for elimination of the gangue from the progressing material, and battles facilitating the flow of the gangue into the launder and preventing entry of the precipitate into the outlet aforesaid.

8. In a concentrating apparatus of the type described, the combination of a table having longitudinal riffles attenuated toward the discharge end thereof, a closure for, said table, a launder along one side of the table, and a series of controllable hoppers at the discharge end of thetable, each saidhopper being formed with a flexible outlet having a flattened free end permitting efliux of material but preventing ingress of air.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 4th day of May, 1923.

CHARLES E. BONINE. 

